Did you know?
There’s a glitch in the etymology of glitch—it may come from the Yiddish glitsh, meaning “slippery place,” but that’s not certain. Print use of glitch referring to a brief unexpected surge of electrical current dates to the mid-20th century. Astronaut John Glenn, in his 1962 book Into Orbit, felt the need to explain the term to his readers: “Literally, a glitch is a spike or change in voltage in an electrical circuit which takes place when the circuit suddenly has a new load put on it.” Today, the word can be used of any minor malfunction or snag. If you’re a gamer you might even take advantage of a glitch that causes something unexpected, and sometimes beneficial, to happen in the game.
Examples of glitch in a Sentence
Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2026
There’s also a lot going on in the personal lives of the folks at 51, the biggest being Boden’s wedding, which — despite a glitch with Herrmann’s offer to hold the event at his church — winds up being a beautiful affair.
—Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
Just getting to and from the airport outside the Dutch capital was a struggle with frozen points and an early morning software glitch throwing the Netherlands’ rail system into turmoil.
—Mike Corder, Los Angeles Times, 6 Jan. 2026
In his first official stint, Dokoupil was up front about what was going on during a glitch in the broadcast.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for glitch
Cite this Entry
“Glitch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/glitch. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
glitch
noun
Share